Mission Solutions & Payload – Payload Technical Director

Date Posted:

2026-08-25

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-CA-EL SEGUNDO-E01 ~ 2000 E El Segundo Blvd ~ BLDG E01

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance​

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: TS/SCI

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. 

Raytheon brings the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today’s mission and stay ahead of tomorrow’s threat. We deliver solutions that help our nation and allies defend freedoms and deter aggression, creating a safer, more secure world. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

This position is an onsite role located in El Segundo, CA and will require travel (25%-50%).

What You Will Do

As the Payloads Technical Director for Mission Solutions and Payloads, you will provide strategic technical leadership across our space payload portfolio, shaping the technologies, architecture, products, and talent needed to meet current and future mission needs. You will:

• Establish and drive the technical vision, strategy, and technology roadmaps for the space payload portfolio.

• Provide technical leadership for mission concepts and architecture development to drive competitive pursuit offerings.

• Shape next-generation payload architectures and lead technical trades that balance mission performance, affordability, schedule, risk, producibility, and technology maturity.

• Partner with MSP leadership, programs, engineering, strategy, and requirements and capabilities leaders to shape pursuits and develop differentiated solutions for emerging customer needs.

• Engage directly with customers and partners to understand mission challenges, influence future requirements, and translate operational needs into executable technical solutions.

• Guide IRAD and technology investments, identifying critical technology gaps and accelerating maturation and transition of differentiating capabilities.

• Promote common architecture, reusable technologies, open interfaces, and product-line approaches that enable rapid and affordable capability insertion.

• Provide senior technical oversight for critical program decisions, technical reviews, architecture trades, and resolution of significant technical risks.

• Champion systems thinking, modeling and simulation, MBSE, data-driven decision making, and disciplined engineering practices across the organization.

• Connect payload development with spacecraft, ground, communications, mission processing, and other elements to optimize end-to-end mission performance.

• Develop and mentor technical directors, architects, technical fellows, and emerging technical leaders while strengthening the organization's technical talent pipeline.

• Foster collaboration and technology sharing across programs and organizations to accelerate innovation and transition proven solutions.

• Represent the organization in senior-level customer engagements, technical interchange meetings, industry forums, and executive reviews.

• Position will require travel (25%-50%).

What You Will Learn

In this role, you will gain broad exposure to the technologies, missions, customers, and business strategies shaping the future of space payloads. You will:

• Develop a deep understanding of the organization’s space payload portfolio, technologies, products, and mission applications.

• Expand your knowledge of emerging customer missions, operational needs, threats, and future space architecture.

• Develop deeper relationships with customers, industry partners, suppliers, and technical leaders across the space community.

• Strengthen your technical leadership capabilities in ways that shape long‑term mission and program success.

• Tackle some of the most challenging technical problems in the industry, expanding your ability to innovate and solve complex issues.

• Grow in a highly visible role that allows you to influence outcomes and elevate your impact across the enterprise.

• Build a broader understanding of the business, including strategic planning, new business pursuits, competitive positioning, and technology differentiation.

• Broaden your technical horizons and gain exposure to a portfolio of advanced products and technologies.

• Expand your leadership skills through mentoring technical leaders, building collaborative teams, and shaping the technical talent needed for future missions.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a Bachelor's Degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 14 years of prior relevant experience prohibited by local laws/regulations.

• Technical leadership experience in complex space payloads, sensors, mission systems, or related technologies, with strong systems engineering and architecture experience.

• Experience leading and influencing across programs and organizations, making sound technical decisions balancing performance, cost, schedule, and risk, and develop technical talent.

• Ability to travel 25-50% as required to support customers, programs, technical reviews, and business activities.

• Active and transferable U.S. government-issued Top Secret/SCI security clearance is required before the start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Broad technical experience across multiple space payload, sensor, or mission areas.

• Strong communication and customer engagement skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts and influence senior leaders, customers, and key stakeholders.

• Strong systems engineering background with the ability to understand and influence complex system and mission architectures.

• Strong understanding of end-to-end space mission architectures, including payloads, spacecraft, communications, ground systems, mission processing, and command and control.

• Experience developing or leading advanced space payload architectures from concept development through integration, test, and deployment.

• Experience with advanced sensors, signal processing, mission data processing, or related payload technologies.

• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), modeling and simulation, digital engineering, and data-driven engineering approaches.

• Experience applying product-line architectures, modular open systems approaches, common interfaces, and reusable technologies across multiple programs.

• Demonstrated ability to make sound technical decisions by balancing performance, cost, schedule, risk, and technology maturity.

• Experience developing technical strategies, technology roadmaps, architectures, or investment plans.

• Experience developing technology and product roadmaps and shaping IRAD or other strategic technology investments.

• Demonstrated success transitioning advanced technologies from research and development into programs, products, or operational capabilities.

• Experience leading technical teams and influencing across programs, functions, and organizations.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence across organizational boundaries and build effective partnerships with programs, customers, suppliers, and industry partners.

• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop technical talent and build strong technical teams.

• Experience mentoring systems architects, technical fellows, and other senior technical leaders.

• Experience supporting new business activities, including customer engagement, concept development, technical proposals, or competitive pursuits.

• Experience shaping customer requirements and developing technical solutions for new business pursuits and competitive captures.

• Strong executive-level communication skills with experience presenting complex technical strategies and recommendations to senior customers and business leadership.

What We Offer

• Our values drive our actions, behaviors, and performance with a vision for a safer, more connected world. At RTX we value: Safety, Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration, and Innovation.

• Relocation Eligibility.

Learn More & Apply Now!

Please consider the following role type definition as you apply for this role.

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

Candidates will learn more about role type and current site status throughout the recruiting process. For onsite roles, commuting to and from the assigned site is the employee’s personal responsibility.

This position requires a security clearance. DCSA Consolidated Adjudication Services (DCSA CAS), an agency of the Department of Defense, handles and adjudicates the security clearance process. More information about Security Clearances can be found on the US Department of State government website here: https://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/c10978.htm

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 204,800 USD - 389,200 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.
Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.
Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.
This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.
RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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